A few weeks ago, I participated in a podcast with the Cabin crew to share more about my early experiences in bootstrapping a block association in NYC as part of their cohort-based Neighborhood Accelerator program this summer. You can tune in here.
It was incredibly rewarding for me to learn how people in communities all over the globe set out to activate their local neighborhoods.
One of our very first weeks in this accelerator program was also one of the most analog experiences in bootstrapping a network: We literally knocked on doors and hung up fliers. While this only worked marginally well for me in NYC (a lemonade stand ultimately proved to be a better "neighbor lead gen" activity), it was a good reminder of the hard work that goes into doing things that don't scale at the front end of any project.
I particularly loved hearing about how other people in the neighborhood accelerator approached and succeeded in their own community strategies. Savannah successfully convinced another friend to move into her building in Boulder, a total win for cultivating a more connected community. Over many years in a smaller town outside of Perth, Australia, Shani taught us all a masterclass in how to get people to step up and volunteer to lead, with only light nudging on your part.
You can hear some of these stories, and a lot more in this podcast. (You can also read my own story in visual zine format here.) Whether you're looking to jumpstart a hyperlocal community of your own, or tell a few good stories around the Campfire, I hope you get something out of the stories shared.
